by Kai Juniper
"Mom, you knew I was busy today."
She stands at my door, her hands on her hips. "Your father told me about the call you had with him today."
"Yeah? What about it?" I grab some clean clothes from my dresser. I feel gross. I need to shower.
"He said you're willing to give up college for Dean, along with all your father's financial support."
"I'm not giving up college. I'll just pay for it myself." I go past her to the bathroom but she grabs the door before I can close it.
"Brook, this is serious. Dean is just some high school boyfriend. It's not going to last. You need to think longterm and do what's best for your future."
"Chad was just a high school boyfriend and you and Dad were already planning the wedding."
"Because Chad is a very mature young man. He knows what he wants. He has his future planned out. You're the same way. It's why you two are such a good match."
"We're not a good match. I don't know why I ever dated him."
She sighs. "All Chad wants is a chance to see you again. He admits your relationship struggled when we moved away but he's willing to put in the effort to make it work. I told him I'd talk to you about doing the same."
"Wait—what? You told Chad I'd get back together with him?"
"I didn't make him any promises but I told him I'd talk to you."
"Was that why he invited you to brunch? So you two could gang up on me and try to get me to go back to him?"
"Chad simply asked me to talk to you. That's it. But I think you could at least let him take you to dinner. Perhaps you two could go back to being friends."
"I don't even like him. Why would I be friends with him?"
"Would you like a car?" she asks, raising her brows.
"Yes, but what's that have to do with this?"
"If you give Chad another chance, your father will get you a car. Anything you'd like. Wouldn't that be nice? To be able to go places without needing someone to drive you?"
"Are you serious?" I say, raising my voice. "You really think I'd break up with Dean and get back with Chad in exchange for a car?" I huff. "Forget it. I'd rather take the bus." I try to shut the door but she won't let go of it.
"Brook, I have allowed you to have your fun but I've had enough. I'm sick of living in this dump and working fifteen hours a day just to support us. I don't want to keep doing it. Your father is offering us a way out and I want us to take it."
"Even if it means I'll be miserable?"
"How could you possibly be miserable? We'll be back in a safe part of town, living in a beautiful house. You'll have a car. Spending money. Your father even agreed to let us rejoin the country club."
"But that's not what I want. If you're telling me I have no choice in this, then I guess there's nothing else to say."
She lets go of the door and I slam it shut.
When I'm done with my shower, I go in my room and lock the door. I'm so mad at my mom, I can't even talk to her right now. Maybe later tonight, when we've both had time to cool down, I can convince her to change her mind.
I'm not going back to Haverhill. I wouldn't even fit in there. I'm not that girl anymore.
Chapter Twenty
Dean
"I want out of this bed," I say to the nurse. "I don't want my brother seeing me like this."
"I could get you a wheelchair," she says.
"Yeah, that's fine, but could you do it soon? He's going to be here any minute now."
"I'll see what I can do." She leaves my room.
I'm excited to see Jake but also a little nervous. I'm worried that after all this he might've changed. I'm afraid he'll see the world differently now. I'm afraid he'll see it like I do. Dark. Dangerous. Threatening. Not trusting anyone. Always having to watch your back. Never able to relax.
I lived that way for most of my life but then I met Brook and the world looked a little brighter. I still see the world as a dangerous place but I can let myself relax now and then, especially when I'm with Brook. She makes me calm. Hopeful. I didn't think I'd ever feel that way, but knowing it's possible, I have hope for Jake. He can get past this. I'll do everything I can to make sure of it. I want him to go back to being the carefree kid who sat around playing video games and went to the go-kart track with his friends.
"Here you go," the nurse says, bringing in a wheelchair.
"I can do it," I tell her when she tries to help. I'm still in a lot of pain but I need to fight through it. I need to get my strength back and that's not going to happen lying in bed all day.
"You okay?" she asks as I grip the chair, cringing in pain as I lower myself into it.
"I'm good." I force out a smile. "It's just been awhile since I've been able to sit up like this."
"The doctor said you could try walking with crutches later if you're up to it."
"Yeah, let's do it. I'll do whatever it takes to get out of here."
She smiles. "Need anything else?"
"No. Just send my brother in when you see him."
A few minutes later there's a knock on the door.
"Yeah, come in."
The door opens and I see Jake standing there. I want to jump out of this chair and run to him but I can't because of my damn knee.
"Dean!" Jake runs over to me, leaning down and hugging me. "I was scared, Dean. I was so scared."
"I know, buddy." I hold him in the hug as best I can in this stupid chair. "Let me see you."
He slowly pulls back, tears running down his face. I don't see any bruises on him but his eyes look tired and I can see the outline of his cheek bones. The kid needs to eat.
"It's okay," I tell him, wiping the tears off his face. "You're back home. You're safe."
He sniffles. "I didn't know, Dean. I didn't know he was like that. He told me what he did to you."
"Don't worry about me. I'm good. Just a few more days and I'll be out of here."
"How could he do that to you?" he asks, choking back tears. “He's our dad. How could he do that?"
"It's just how he is. I don't know what made him that way. But he's locked away now. He won't be coming back."
Jake’s lip quivers and tears run down his face. "He told me he killed you. I thought he really did. I thought I lost you."
"No way that would've happened. You know how tough I am. And you know I wouldn't leave you."
He nods, sniffling.
The police officer walks in. "Everything okay in here?"
"Yeah," I tell him. "Thanks for bringing him by."
"Take your time." He walks out.
"Were they good to you?" I ask Jake. "The cops?"
He nods really fast. "They got me pizza, and clothes and stuff."
Just then, I saw my kid brother coming back. He does that fast nod when he's excited about something. It's the pizza. It's his favorite food.
"Pizza, huh?" I smile. "Your favorite."
"Uh huh. And they let me pick what kind." He wipes the tears off his face.
"How was the ride back?"
"Good. It was a lady cop. She talked the whole way."
"Girls like to talk," I say in a kidding tone.
"Yeah. She has two kids. One of them is my age. He plays football like you but he's into video games like me."
"Did you tell her what games you like?"
"Yeah, her son likes the same ones. Then I told her how I made my own, how I coded them and stuff."
"I bet she was impressed."
"I don't know. Maybe." His expression goes back to that scared serious look he had when he got here. "I never want to see him again."
"You don't have to. Dad's going to be locked away for a long time."
"I should've believed you. You tried to tell me he was like that but I didn't want to believe you."
He stares down at the floor. I keep quiet because it seems like he wants to tell me more.
"He wanted me to steal for him. He took me to a parking lot and told me to break into cars and take whatever he could get money for. I
told him I didn't want to do it, that I'd get caught. He said they wouldn't do anything to me because I'm a minor. I still didn't want to do it, and when I refused, he said if I don't do it I'd end up like you." His eyes lift to mine. "That's when he told me what he did to you."
"So you did it? You broke into cars?"
"No. A cop showed up. He was just parking there but Dad freaked out and we left."
"Did he try again somewhere else?"
"Yeah, but he did it himself. He said he'd show me how, and after that I had to do it myself."
"But you didn't."
"No. I took off."
"When? How'd you get away?"
"We needed gas so Dad pulled off at a truck stop. It was one of those big ones off the interstate. The place was packed. While he was pumping gas, this woman walked by. She was hot and barely wearing any clothes. Dad smiled at her and they started talking. I figured that was my chance to get away. There was a pickup parked next to us that had all this shit in the back, like mattresses and furniture. I snuck out and crawled over there and got in the back. I hid under the mattress just as the lady took off."
"It was a woman in the truck?"
"A lady with kids. You always told me if I needed help to find a lady with kids."
He followed my advice. Maybe I'm not so bad at this parenting thing.
"I ended up on this farm out in the middle of nowhere. I hid in the barn for a couple days until one of the lady's kids found me."
"Did they get mad at you for being there?"
"No. They were really nice. The mom was all worried about me. She gave me food and let me take a shower and then she took me to the police station."
"You did good, Jake. A lot of kids your age wouldn't know what to do, or they'd be too afraid to do what you did."
"I had to get back to you. I had to know if you were still alive. I thought Dad might be lying just to scare me." He looks down at my wheelchair. "But he really did it. He tried to kill you."
"But he didn't. I'm still here." I look at him, wishing I could make him feel better, wishing I could erase the past week from his memories. "Jake, we're gonna get through this. It's gonna get better."
He doesn't say anything.
"What do you think about leaving here?"
He looks up. "They said you can't go yet."
"I don't mean the hospital. I mean Chicago. What do you think about moving?"
He shrugs. "I guess we could, but where would we go?"
"Remember those offers I had last year? The football scholarships?"
"Yeah."
"I got some more offers. Coach is coming by tonight to go over them with me. The schools are in Idaho, Oklahoma, and Texas. If you had to pick, where would you want to go?"
"Texas," he says, without hesitation.
"Why Texas?"
"Warm weather. I'm sick of snow."
I smile. "Me too. Let's do it. What do you say?"
"When would we move?"
"This summer, before school starts. I'd have to be down there in August for practice so maybe July."
"What about Brook?" he asks, getting this sad look on his face. He doesn't want to leave her. He loves her almost as much as I do.
"She might be going there too. She's looking at colleges there. She's got a sister in Dallas. That's where we'd be going if I took the deal."
He smiles for the first time since he got here. "I think you should take it."
There's a knock on the door, then it opens slightly. Brook peeks her head in, her eyes widening when she sees Jake.
"Jake!" She races over and hugs him. "We've been so worried about you."
"I'm okay," he says.
She stands back, keeping hold of his shoulders as she looks him over. When she sees he's okay, she smiles at him. "We missed you."
"I missed you too," he says with a sheepish grin. He's at that age when saying stuff like that is embarrassing. He only did because of what he's been through. In a few weeks he'll be back to thinking he's too cool to give us hugs or admit that he likes us.
"Did you just get here?" Brook asks him.
"He's been here awhile," I say. "We've just been talking. I didn't know you were ditching class to come here."
"I had to," she says. "I wanted to see Jake."
Danny walks in, along with his parents. I didn't think they'd be here yet. They would've had to take off work to come here. They're good people. I don't know how I'll ever thank them enough for this.
"Hey, man," Danny says to Jake, giving him a hug. "Welcome back. I like the new look."
"I don't." Jake runs his hand over his bald head. "Girls won't even look at me like this. They like guys with hair."
"Why are you so worried about girls?" I ask.
That sheepish grin of his appears again.
"We've got a bed all ready for you," Danny's dad says, going up to Jake. "Tommy keeps asking when you'll be there."
Tommy is Danny's younger brother. He loves Jake because he's the only one who will play video games with him.
Danny's mom gives Jake a hug. "We're looking forward to having you. Brook packed up some of your things. They're already at the house."
"You went to my house?" I ask Brook.
She glances at Danny. "Um, yeah. Danny took me. We just went in and got some of Jake's clothes."
The house is a mess and I'm sure it got even worse after my dad tore through it. The cop said my dad went searching the place for money while I was passed out. I don't know why he thought I had money. The most he would've found is a couple dollars in change.
"We can go wait out there," Danny's mom says. "There's no rush. Whenever you're ready."
"You want to go?" I ask Jake.
"Maybe. I'm kind of hungry."
"We can fix that," Danny's mom says, putting her arm around him. "Let's go get some lunch."
"Can I come back later?" Jake asks me.
"I can bring him," Danny says, knowing that was the only thing holding me back from telling him yes. I don't want to burden his parents any more than I have to, but I don't think they see it that way. They see Jake and me as family. We're lucky to have them.
"Come here," I say to Jake. He steps up to me and I bring him in for a hug. "Be good. Don't make a mess. And tell them thank you."
"I know all that," he says in the whiny voice I'm used to.
That's the Jake I know. He's going to be okay. We'll both get past this and be okay.
Jake leaves with Danny’s parents, but Danny and Brook stay behind.
"We have to head back to school," Danny says. "We just wanted to stop by and see Jake."
"Can I talk to him before we leave?" Brook asks Danny.
"Go ahead. I'll be out in the hall."
When he's gone, Brook sits across from me on the bed. "How'd it go? Did he tell you anything?"
"Yeah. He told me a lot, actually, more than I thought he would. Sounds like he got away after just a couple days with my dad. It's a good thing he did because my dad was already threatening to hurt him if Jake didn't do what he said."
"But he didn't, right? He didn't hurt him?"
"No, but he told Jake he killed me. He was trying to scare him and it worked."
"At least he's home now, and safe."
"He'll be okay. It'll just take some time." I pause. "I told him about the offers I got."
"And what did he say?"
"He's okay if we move. He wants to go to Texas. He even sounded excited about it, especially when he found out you might be going there too."
Brook looks down, biting her lip like she does when she's nervous.
"What is it?" I ask. "What's wrong?"
She waits a moment, then says, "My mom might force me to go back."
"Back to Haverhill?"
"Yes. We had another fight about it. I told her I'd be miserable there but she didn't seem to care." Brook's eyes rise to mine. "She could force me to do it. I'd have to go."
"So go. It doesn't mean we won't see each other."
"It might. My mom's on a mission to get me back with Chad. It's not going to happen but I could see her trying to keep me away from you."
"How would she do that?"
"By filling up my calendar so I have no time for anything else. Even if she didn't do that, I still won't have much time to see you. Haverhill gives out tons of homework and the tests are more like college exams. When I went there I studied for hours a night and even more on the weekends. And they have all these activities and events outside of school that they expect students to attend."
"We'll find a way to see each other. I promise."
"But I don't want to go back, even for just a few months."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I need to find a way to convince my mom to stay here until I graduate. After that, she can do what she wants. She'll probably marry her rich boyfriend and go repeat the life she had with my dad."
"Are they that serious? I thought they just started dating."
"They did, but he's already given her a credit card to buy fancy clothes for all the events he goes to. That means he sees a future with her."
"A credit card means they have a future?"
"I know, it's crazy, but that's how it works. Money is love in that world. It's one of the reasons I don't want to go back there."
"Is your sister like that? Is she like your mom?"
"No, she's more like me, except that she doesn't like upsetting our parents. When she was still living at home, she did whatever they told her, and only dated guys they approved of. She doesn't listen to them as much now, but they also don't see her enough to know what she's doing. The guy she's with now isn't rich. He works in finance so he'll probably make a lot of money in the future but he's not there yet."
Danny pops his head in the room. "Sorry to interrupt but I have a test in my next class and I'm going to be late if we don't leave."
"I'll be right out," Brook tells him. She gives me a kiss. "I'll come by later tonight."
"Could you spend time with Jake instead?"
"You don't want to see me?"
"I do, but he needs you more than I do right now. You have a way of making people feel better, and Jake really needs that."